New York City Public School Bureaucrats Need To Learn Their Math

April 2, 2011

Those in charge of New York City schools may need to re-take some math classes.Thomas DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller, audited the Department of Education and found that the graduation rate for 2008 was between 62.9 percent and 63.6 percent. But the NYC Department of Education listed it at 65.5 percent. Uh oh. DiNapoli said the city’s rate was “generally accurate” because it was “within 5 points of his findings.” Within 5 points — isn’t that a little too big of a mistake to just be accepted as a test? Let’s go by the rules of The Price Is Right: you want to get as close as you can to the actual number without going over. Well New York City Public schools, you went over it. Drew Carey probably hates you.

“In a large urban district like NYC, students and their families leave the City or the United States without notice, a forwarding address, a telephone number, or information about the student’s future plans outside of New York City,” said spokesman Matt Mittenthal.

“Unfortunately, (the state education department) requires very specific documentation proving that those students left the City, otherwise they must be reported as a drop out.”

But now the state education department has some new problems it has to deal with: finding places to put these damn kids so it can lose the little ones when they drop out. It seems that 10.5 percent of eighth graders who applied for seats at New York City public high schools didn’t get matched to any school. This was the highest percentage of no-matches since 2005. Now they have to go into a round of less-desirable schools which will likely increase their chances of dropping out. Great work, everybody!